I'm a big believer that the best things in life and in the kitchen are often the simplest. Like, "life's simple pleasures" is a phrase for a reason. This easy soft pretzel recipe is just one example of that. It really is the best and the absolute simplest. Soft, buttery dough topped with salt or cinnamon sugar eaten warm from the oven? I mean, come on. My kids would literally eat these soft pretzels every day if I could keep up.
I think I started making these in 2018. One of our sons asked if I could make soft pretzels - like the infamous shopping mall variety - and I accepted the challenge. I can't remember how many recipes I consulted, but the first one I made had me brush the pretzels with a baking soda and water mixture before baking. It was messy, gritty, and really just didn't do anything for me. Or for the pretzels. So I got rid of that step opting for an egg wash instead. I played with the sugar and salt ratios, added some butter to the dough.
This easy soft pretzel recipe makes 12 nice big pretzels but I have also used it to make smaller pretzels as well as pretzel buns. It is super versatile and really easy to work with.
Like I wrote above, simple is best in my opinion. I love these plain with salt and I LOVE them brushed with butter and coated in cinnamon sugar. BUT: if you want to get carried away, feel free to jazz up this easy soft pretzel recipe with add-ins, toppings, and dipping sauces. Here are some of my suggestions.
Add these to your soft pretzel dough while mixing
- chocolate chips
- poppy seeds
- vanilla bean paste
- sprinkles
- roasted garlic
- dried fruit
- chopped olives
- diced pepperoni, cheese, and herbs (pizza pretzels!)
And what should you top these soft pretzels with?
- pretzel salt
- pearled or coarse sugar
- everything bagel seasoning
- za'atar seasoning
- dried herbs
- sesame seeds
- poppy seeds
- sprinkles
- shredded cheese
- cinnamon sugar (after baking)
- powdered sugar (after baking)
- cocoa powder (after baking)
And finally, dipping or drizzling options:
- mustard
- cheese sauce
- chocolate sauce
- caramel
- any veggie dip you love
- marinara
- hummus
- cream cheese
- frosting/glaze
So many options. You really are only limited by your imagination. I think of bagel and doughnut flavors for inspiration when coming up with these suggestions.
Here are a few step-by-step photos of this Easy Soft Pretzel Recipe
And a few pretzel rolling and shaping tips:
I write this in the recipe, but I have found over the many times I've made this recipe that having damp hands while rolling the dough into ropes really makes the process easier. Many recipes for soft pretzels will tell you to use a lightly floured surface, but this just makes everything too dry and frictionless. So I keep a small dish of water nearby and very lightly dampen my hands a few times during the process. Roll from the middle out to the ends, constantly moving your hands forward and backward as you press down lightly and move outward. Just repeat this until you have a 24 inch rope.
I know 24 inches seems like an insanely long rope, but it really needs to be that long. These rise quite a bit in the oven so if they start out too thick you will end up with buns, not pretzels. Not necessarily a bad thing just a warning.
And speaking of buns...
If you want to turn these into pretzel buns
Two options: either make a shorter rope and therefore a much tighter pretzel so you don't have gaps/holes in the baked pretzel OR just roll the pieces of dough into balls and flatten them as if you were making burger buns. I plan to do a recipe and guide just for pretzel buns but for now, just know that it really is as simple as that and I do it all the time.
This is such a simple yet versatile recipe. No matter which adventure you choose, you will end up with a soft, fluffy interior and a pleasantly chewy exterior.
And that's pretty much it. I'm not sure why it took me nearly 3 years to share this; But, alas, it is done! Let me know if you make them! xo - Anita
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Easy Soft Pretzel Recipe
- Total Time: 2 hours 9 minutes
- Yield: 12 large soft pretzels
Description
Soft and slightly chewy, these pretzels are quick and easy to make, require NO BOILING, and can be either sweet or savory depending on what you add to them, top them with, or dip them in! If you start right now you could have warm pretzels coming out of your oven in about 2 hours!
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm milk (100-110 degrees F)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (or white sugar, honey, or malt syrup if you're really fancy)
- 3 teaspoons yeast
- 5 ¼ cups AP flour
- ½ stick soft butter
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Egg Wash:
- one egg yolk mixed with 2 tablespoons water
Topping suggestions: (see post above for a long list of add-ins, toppings, and dipping ideas)
- Pretzel salt
- everything bagel seasoning
- cinnamon sugar
- sesame seeds
- poppy seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine warm milk, sugar, and yeast. Allow to sit for 5 minutes
- Add flour, butter, and salt and mix until dough comes together. Continue kneading on low speed for 5 minutes, adding one tablespoon of flour at a time until dough pulls away from the sides and you have a firm, smooth, not sticky dough.
- Cover and let rise in a warm place for one hour.
- Dump dough onto your work surface (I do this straight on my counter) and divide into 12 equal pieces.
- Roll each piece into a long rope - about 24 inches. It helps to keep a bowl of water nearby for this. I have found working with slightly damp hands will help you roll the dough into a rope much easier than using flour like many recipes suggest.
- Cross the two ends over each other to form a circle with overlapping ends, twist once or twice (twice is my signature move) and bring the two points down to make a pretzel shape. Here is a useful video on shaping pretzels (I don't flip them over like in the video but you feel free to do so!) and make sure to reference the step-by-step photos above. Once you do a couple you'll get the hang of it.
- Place the shaped pretzels onto a parchment or silpat lined baking tray. I usually do 4-6 per standard baking tray - they do puff up.
- Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with desired topping (see list of suggestions in blog post) - if you are going to brush with butter and roll in cinnamon sugar or something similar, do not egg wash before baking.
- Bake in preheated oven for 9 minutes.
- If you are going the cinnamon sugar route, you will brush the baked pretzels with melted butter and roll in cinnamon sugar after baking.
Notes
If you want to make these into pretzel buns, instead of rolling them into ropes, simply shape each piece into a ball, flatten slightly and bake as instructed.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 9 minutes
- Category: bread, snack
- Method: baking
So so easy and so delicious! Follow the instructions for easy shaping - it was a breeze! Used half for cinna-sug and salt pretzels and the other half for pretzel buns. Bookmarking this!